I just signed up to add my two cents to this misery and - maybe - the rise of a new force (wew). I also own lifetime licences of AnyDVD, AnyDVDHD and CloneBD since 2007, and never had to ask for help in this forum, because the software just was there and worked. Thank you! I still am deeply frustrated, how brainless greed could kill such a wonderful piece of software, which not less than exempted the customers of the content oligarchy and their - probably payed - lawmakers from the burdens of so called "copyright" enforcement. I always have payed for my purchased or rented DVD's and BR's, and never sold any copy to anybody, nor did I offer them via filesharing.
But the truth is not of interest to the executors of digital content "protection". They do not want to be honorable, not fair, not far sighted - they only want control, cash and influence. What damage is done to society, law system and cultural and technological progress by this policy is not part of the impact assessment, which politicians in western countries failed to do when voting for laws, which only made trusts and their shareholders more influential, but made all others loosers the same time.
I say influential, and not richer, because he, who purchases
AnyDVD, will also purchase the
DVD (and BR of course) to make it's content accessible
anywhere. Thus no cent for actors, directors, authors and the studios is lost by using AnyDVD, and by killing Slysoft no additional cent is to be earned by them either. It is only a question of arrogance and bossiness. The so called "fair use" was defined by them, and has nothing to do with what is supporting authors, actors and their customers.
I am really hopeful that this is only a lost round and not the end of the competition for a true copy-right, what for AnyDVD always was and hopefully will be again only an instrument in approaching this goal of freely copyable digital content; a goal that was achieved in the past with audible content on music CDs, and still is declined for visual content. That profits of CD sellers went down the last twenty years was NOT a result of mass copying of music CDs, but the result of changed customer behaviour, technical progress (after Walkman came Discman came Ipod) and stubborn industry bosses, who just did not make their jobs right. Nowadays its no question to not only buy and copy a music CD (on thumb player for jogging, on CD for car player, on HTPC in the living room ...), but also buy the MP3 or rent a music flat rate. All those suppliers earn money, and the same amount has to be divided more often. But say: Does really somebody want to go back to the eighties and abolish spotify?
For this lesson to learn copy protection means have been invented, politicians have been influenced by lobbyists and in the end the bosses gave up. The music industry was not ruined, they just have more teammates who also want to make money. Side effects of their defensive struggle still prevail in today's laws and does now support the film industry. Why is Britain's Got Talent or American Idol that popular? It's a good show concept, and - well, the singers want to get famous and make money with music. Film bosses and their henchmen in politics still have years to learn, I'm afraid.
In the meantime I hope that AnyDVD will resurrect quickly. I also am willing to pay for renewed licenses, no doubt. Good luck to us all!